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HIS-FOBRS, OF . EUR OPE. 
rtunity given to England, to 
antetfere therein, as a party con- 
ted. It was by observing this 
policy that France had broken the 
coalition, and induced its respective 
_' members to negociate apart. The 
fact was, that England, being the 
Bove at which its “yesentment was 
iefly pointed, and of which it 
_ sought mast eagerly the depression, 
it would readily concede much to 
~ those of whom it principally de- 
ied to dissolve the connection with 
eles Actuated by this motive, 
the French goverhment, though de- 
termined to keep possession of Bel- 
cae was far from averse to make 
- an adequate compensation to Aus- 
tria for the loss of so valueble a 
part. of i its dominions, provided the 
country, ‘to be given as an indem- 
nity, sould not become the means 
of renewing this connection. The 
low countries, by their proximity to 
Great Britain, were a natural and. 
powerful ‘cause of an union of 
interests between that power and the 
house of Austria, through the com- 
Mercial adyantages, resulting from 
them to the former, and the facility 
‘with which the latter could derive 
_ the Most essential assistance against 
tae from its most formidable 
Tival. The hope and prospect of 
terminating a connection, so dan- 
gerous to them, were now in the 
contemplation of the French. To 
‘secure so desirable an end was a 
joint of too much consequence, to 
Tefuse the grant of such conditions 
as might enable them, at once, to 
obtain i it without further difficulty, 
‘or contest, and possibly as much to 
‘the satisfaction of those to whom 
they granted them as to their own, 
‘especially asthe power they were 
ow treating with was notoriously 
Misposed to make any sacrifice that 
[39 
might conduce to indemnify him 
for his losses, at whatsoever cost the 
indemnification was to be purchased,. 
whether an enemy, or a friend. 
It was on this disposition the 
French seemed to place their ex- 
‘pectation of framing a treaty which 
would | satisfy both parties ; nor 
did they shew any backwardness 
to make the like sacrifices on their 
own part. ‘The political structure 
of Europe was now founded on a 
systemof compensations and equiva 
lent reciprocities. Modern statesmen 
and politicians, have deviated from 
the principles of morality and Teli- 
gion, the solid and dignified basis 
on which the law of ‘nations was 
originally founded, and introduced 
a- superseding principle, called the 
law of political necessity, by which 
rapine is ‘made to justify rapine, 
and a system of progressive injustité 
established, on agrand scale, among 
the rulers of nations.” It is” this 
that has divided Poland; this that 
threatens the division, not only of 
the Turkish empire, but of many 
Christian countries in Europe ; and 
this, it may be added, that forms 
the best apology for all attémpts to 
form popular governments. ’ 
The republic of Venice had long 
viewed with dissatisfaction the vic- 
torious progress of the French, in 
Italy. Like the other natives of 
that country, the Venetians har- 
boured a dislike of the Fretich, 
Difference af character and man-= 
ners rendered these two nations res 
markably averse to each other. But 
~ the political antipathy of the Vene= 
tians was still greater than their’ na- 
tional dislike. The conquests of the 
French had rendered them the 
arbiters of the fate of all Italy. » 
The former importance of the sove= 
reignty and states of that country 
[D4] bad 
